ST. BONAVENTURE (5-2) at NIAGARA (1-5)
Wednesday, Dec. 6 - 7:00 p.m.
Lewiston, N.Y.
TV: ESPN+
Radio: Bonnies Online Network

OPENING TIP

• St. Bonaventure makes its second trip north to face a Western New York rival on the road this week as they play at Niagara after winning at Buffalo last Saturday, 80-65. The two Big 4 trips are the only true road games on the Bonnies' non-conference slate - SBU also has played two neutral site contests at the Legends Classic in Brooklyn, going 1-1 vs. Oklahoma State and Auburn and will later play nationally-ranked FAU at the Basketball Hall of Fame Classic in Springfield, Mass. on Dec. 16 before wrapping non-conference play in the Legends Showcase vs. Akron in Cleveland Dec. 30. 
• Wednesday's game is the renewal of one of the longest running series in program history for the Bonnies as they take on Niagara for the 161st time, but the first since December 2019. Bona's has not played its Little Three foe in nearly four full calendar years, but the series is a century-old battle dating to 1920. Of all opponents, St. Bonaventure has only faced Canisius more times (171).
• Chad Venning posted 20 points on 11-17 shooting from the floor in Saturday's win at Buffalo while Mika Adams-Woods stuffed the stat sheet with 20 points, eight assists, six rebounds and three blocks. Venning tied his career-best scoring output while Adams-Woods was just one point off his career-best, also matching his previous highs in assists and rebounds while tallying a new high in blocks.
• Moses Flowers (16) and Daryl Banks III (14) also combined for 30 points in Saturday's win, going a combined 6-for-14 from long range.
• Bona won at Buffalo despite playing without its leading scorer and rebounder entering the day, Charles Pride, who along with Kyrell Luc, missed the game due to an ankle injury. The two guards are considered day-to-day.
• St. Bonaventure is 203-144 all-time in Western New York rivalry games against Big 4 foes Niagara, Buffalo and Canisius.  

TRENDING NUMBERS 
0  – St. Bonaventure has not trailed for a single second in the last two wins over Buffalo and Miami (OH). 
4  – Only three Division I teams have at least four active 1,000-point scorers on their roster: St. John's (6), TCU (5) and St. Bonaventure (4).
6  –  Barry Evans has six or more rebounds in the last five games, including a season-high eight Dec. 2 at Buffalo. His career high is nine boards. 
8  –  Mika Adams-Woods matched his career high with eight assists in each of the last two games. If he were to have eight or more assists against Niagara, it would be the first time a Bonnies player achieved that feat in three straight games since Kyle Lofton did so in February 2022.
10  – The Bonnies have at least 10 3-pointers in each of their last three games, hitting 10 in each the wins over Bucknell (10) and Buffalo (10) and 11 triples vs. Miami (OH). Bona's recent 3-point success is no surprise considering Bonnies players have over 800 combined career 3s on the active roster. 
+20  – Bona had a +20 rebounding margin in their win over Miami (OH) on Nov. 25. The Bonnies have won the battle of the boards in five of the last six games.
20  – The Bonnies have seven players on their active roster who have single-game career highs of 20 points or more. Nationally, only TCU (9), BYU (8), Missouri (8) and New Mexico (8) have more.
23  – Chad Venning tallied 23 points in Bona's win at Buffalo Dec. 2, the highest scoring output by a Bonnies player so far this season.
40  – Mika Adams-Woods played the full 40 minutes in the Dec. 2 win at Buffalo - it was the first time he's played the full 40 in his Bonnies career and the third time overall in his collegiate career. Daryl Banks III also played all 40 minutes in that game, a total he has hit in 21 of his first 39 games as a Bonnie. 
78.2%  – St. Bonaventure ranks 20th nationally so far this year in free throw percentage at 78.2% on the season. Daryl Banks III is best on the team, sinking 91% of his tries at the line (20-22).

SERIES HISTORY
St. Bonaventure leads, 89-71
The Bonnies' history has been intertwined with Niagara throughout over a century of basketball in Western New York. SBU first played Niagara during the 1920-21 season, Bona's second as an intercollegiate program, and has built an 89-71 advantage over the years.

The current stretch of nearly four calendar years between games is the longest gap between contests ever for the two squads. 

Recent history has seen dominant stretches by both teams: St. Bonaventure won six straight between 2011-16, following an eight-game win streak by Niagara from 2003-10. Prior to that, Bonaventure won 11 in a row from 1993-2001. 

The longest winning streak in the series: 16 straight Bonnies triumphs between 1962-71. 

St. Bonaventure is seeking its first win in the Gallagher Center since 2013, though the two teams have met on Niagara's campus just once since then when NU came away with an 80-72 victory on Dec. 12, 2018. 

The current coaching match up of Mark Schmidt and Niagara coach Greg Paulus has met up just once - the Bonnies beat Niagara in Paulus' first season of 2019-20, the last meeting of the programs. 

Previous Meeting
St. Bonaventure 87, Niagara 70 (12/18/19)
Six players scored in double figures as the Bonnies dominated the Purple Eagles in the Reilly Center on Dec. 18, 2019. Dominick Welch led the way with 17 points, eight rebounds and six assists while Alejandro Vasquez (14), Osun Osunniyi (13), Kyle Lofton and Amadi Ikpeze (11) all added 11 points or more in the victory. 

ABOUT NIAGARA

• The Purple Eagles are 1-5 overall on the season and began MAAC conference play with a pair of heartbreakers last weekend. First, Saint Peter's snuck past Niagara, 72-67, in the Gallagher Center on Friday night. Niagara then battled Quinnipiac to overtime before falling, 75-68, on Sunday afternoon also at home. Niagara's win came on the road at Saint Francis (PA), 69-61, on Nov. 25.
• The Bonnies and Purple Eagles have one common opponent so far – Niagara lost to Bucknell at home, 73-64, on Nov. 11.
• Niagara was picked ninth in the preseason MAAC Coaches' Poll after finishing 16-15 last year and 10-10 in league play, advancing to the MAAC semifinals. Five players returned from that squad, but seven transfers joined the program out of the transfer portal.
• Three players average double figure scoring on the year, led by Ahmad Henderson II, a true freshman guard, who posts 15.2 ppg. Senior forward Yaw Obeng-Mensah, a transfer from UMBC, adds 11.5 ppg, 5.0 rpg while senior guard Braxton Bayless, one of the returners from last year, chips in 10.0 ppg.
• Niagara averages just over 67 points per game, but shoots the ball well from 3-point land at nearly 37 percent. The Purple Eagles have struggled on the glass, though, as their -5.7 rebounding margin ranks 323^rd nationally.

------
For the latest news on St. Bonaventure athletics, stay connected on social media. Follow the Bonnies on X @GoBonnies and get men's basketball updates @BonniesMBB. Keep up with the Bonnies on Facebook /GoBonnies and on Instagram @GoBonnies